Aviation industry in Australia

The aviation industry in Australia has a long history and currently it has a number of airlines operating within the country and all over the world. The importance of airlines in Australia has grown very rapidly because the country is an island and also has a thriving economy. Defunct airlines and planned airlines are the two types of airlines which are in operation in this country. The main sectors of the Australian civil aviation industry are the international airlines sector, general aviation sector and its safety and the domestic regional airlines sector. The aviation industry of Australia also comprises of some small segments like hand gliding, gliding, autogyros and ultra-light aircraft.

The international airlines in Australia carry cargo and passengers to and from various parts of the world. The total number of international airlines which provides services to Australia is 49. As Australia is an island more than 90% of the visitors to this country come by air. The total annual average of passengers who come to Australia from around the world is about sixteen million. Though airlines are the main carrier of passengers in Australia the freights are mostly carried by the ships to various destinations.

There is a very efficient domestic and regional service in Australia. The main cities and the major ports of the country are linked by best of aircrafts of the region. The capacity of the aircrafts which operate in the smaller airports of the country is mostly of thirty eight seats. The Australian government has made major structural change in the regional airlines to make it more efficient. The regional airlines of Australia have over the years created their own markets and in certain areas the regional airlines have even gone past the major airlines. In 2002 and 2003 a new sector began in Australia called the air ambulance flying for transporting patients by air. The total numbers of licensed pilots in Australia now are about thirty thousand six hundred and seventy six and about one thousand seven hundred licensed helicopter pilots.

Some of the major international airports in Australia are Canberra International Airport, Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Darwin International airport, Cairns International Airport, Townsville International Airport, Adelaide International Airport, Hobart International Airport, Broome International Airport and Cocos Island International Airport. Apart from the regional airports there are a number of regional airports in the country.

The airlines which are in operation in Australia are Qantas, West Australian Airways, Eastern Australia Airlines, Australian Air Express, Virgin Blue, Skytrans Airlines, Maroomba Airlines and Air Link.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is the organization which is responsible for the investigation of the safety deficiencies and the airplane accidents.